ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) will hold its first meeting on Dec 2 following the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment and the establishment of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). The meeting, scheduled for 2:30pm at the Supreme Court building in Islamabad, will consider key appointments to the superior judiciary.
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One of the main agendas is the elevation of a judge from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to the Supreme Court. The names and seniority of the candidates will be disclosed at a later stage. With the formation of the FCC and the resignation of Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, the total strength of the Supreme Court has been reduced from 24 to 18 judges.
The meeting, presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, will be attended by FCC Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justices Munib Akhtar, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Aamer Farooq, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, and representatives from the Pakistan Bar Council, Senate, and National Assembly.
The JCP will also consider the appointment of the Chief Justices of the Sindh High Court (SHC) and the Balochistan High Court (BHC). Candidates for SHC include acting CJ Zafar Ahmed Rajput and Justices Muhammad Iqbal Kalohoro and Mahmood A. Khan, while BHC contenders are acting CJ Muhammad Kamran Khan Mulakhai and Justices Iqbal Ahmed Kasi and Shaukat Ali Rakhshani.
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Following the 27th Amendment, structural changes were made to key judicial bodies. Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail of the SC was included in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the Practice and Procedure Committee, while FCC Justice Aamer Farooq became a member of the JCP. These bodies are responsible for judicial accountability, bench formation, and the appointment of superior court judges.